Tuesday, May 6, 2008

I've gone a bit "green".

(day 127)

And I'm not talking about nausea! So, I guess the P.S. from my last post had several of you confused! ;) To set the record straight, no, I'm not pregnant! Yikes, I would be freaking out if that were the case. ;)

So, the new thing I've been trying out is cloth diapers! :) I know, it's a little shocking, but come on, I did spend 10 years in Oregon with all the hippies. :P I have thrown this idea around for the last couple of years and was going to start it with Scarlett as a new baby. I was so overwhelmed with 2 so close together that I honestly couldn't think about attempting it then. Now that Scarlett is one, I thought I'd finally give it a go. I really hate to think how many diapers are filling up landfills all because of me. They take so long to decompose that it makes me sick. :(

Those that know cloth diapering of years ago, I promise it is SO much easier and nicer than it was. No pins, no ugly diaper covers. I only know what it was like years ago because my mom cloth diapered my little brothers. I vowed then that I would NEVER do it. The world of cloth diapering has changed, however, and here I find myself doing what I said I'd never do!

I personally use pocket diapers... specifically fuzzi bunz. I love them.... they are SO soft and come in darling little colors and even some patterns. Scarlett seems very happy in them and I don't deal with her trying to get away as much when I'm putting a cloth diaper on her as when I put on a disposable one. I think she's pretty comfy in them. Kanyon has actually worn a couple here and there for naps and he loves them too! He requests a particular color (I do have some blues and greens, no worries!) and calls them "Scarlett's soft diapers". They come in a couple different sizes, but each size has several snaps on them so the diaper can grow with them. You'll see in the pictures below that Scarlett wears mediums in fuzzi bunz and Kanyon can actually wear them too even though there is at least a 10 pound difference between the two of them and Kanyon is much taller.I didn't really want to post about this until I knew that I could do it and not be a quitter. Diapering is not going to rule my life and I was realistic about it when I first started a couple weeks ago. It works for us though and I'm just glad that I'm doing something to help the earth! :) On top of it being good for the earth, it's great cost-wise. It's about $300 to start up front, but think about how quickly you spend that much on disposable diapers... if you need to save money, this is another way to do it! :)

(Can you believe that Steve is doing this, no problem? I love it! He was skeptical, but learned quickly that it's no big deal!)

Fuzzis are my favorite too!! you know you can buy those microfiber inserts at Walmart or Target (in the auto section). They work really well! That is great that Steve is willing to give it a try, my hubby despises them. LOL!! Congrats on taking a step to going green!!

What a great, not to mention brave, thing to do! You have inspired me. I may actually look into trying them. It makes me sick just to think how many diapers I've used during the last two years...not to mention how much I've spent!

I have thought of doing cloth diapers but wimped out because I thought it would be too much work. Keep posting on how this goes because I would love to know! Maybe I'll give it a try with my next one. Those fuzzi bunz diapers are adorable.

By the way, I have been meaning to ask you about the ladybug birthday cake you made. I can make wedding cakes but I stink at character cakes. How did you get the red and black coloring and consistency so perfect? Did you buy already colored frosting or did you tint it yourself? What tip did you use? It was perfect!

Lillian - I use wilton gel for my frosting colors... I had to use A LOT for that black and red. Especially the black... it seemed like it would be dark gray forever. ;) But it works better than anything else I've found. As far as the tip... it was just one of those star ones. I can't remember the # exactly, but a medium size... there are smaller and larger ones than what I used. To actually make the ladybug body, I used a pyrex bowl and baked a cake mix in that and then turned it upside down. Just grease and flour the sides to get it out in one piece. It was really not that hard!

Meghan thanks for the reply. I use the wilton gels as well. Black and red by far require the most coloring - I had to use an entire bottle to get the red to look right. I made a Lightening McQueen cake for my 2-year-old, but didn't like the way the frosting looked after I did it, yours looks much better! You definitely have the touch.

Meghan

A stay at home mom to Kanyon (5), Scarlett (4), Cohen (2), and Kelan (8 months). I love being a mother. I'm married to Steve who is one of the most hard working men I know. I love photography. It serves as my much needed release.